Long time no (C)ulture

It has been a very long time since I wrote in this blog. The main reason being a very busy schedule. Unfortunately I wish that meant that a lot of ground has been covered in the mean time. I do not wish to elaborate immensely on this topic except to say that things are much more difficult than they should be. Over the course of the development of the cultural masterplan in Mississauga I was exposed to many different types of personalities and histories. There were positive histories and negative ones. Individuals attending the many workshops and information sessions had been through similiar incidences of renewal and change in the past only to have things slip back into the same rut that has remained a dominating presence almost since inception. This city, the people who live in it and visit it all have the same thing to say; that there is something lacking.

Now that I have had my hands, wrists, elbows and arms deep in all of this I have formed a new hypothesis, one that is slowly becoming a popular theory.

Since the adoption of the cultural masterplan as the next step in the development of a unique cultural identity for Mississauga things have been moving slow. I have not seen change in the seperate non-profit institutions. Although they appear to be developing programming towards eliminating the surreptitious stagnation of their organizations activities they are merely a simulacrum for something substantial. Connection.

It almost goes without saying that if you host an event, you will have some people attend it. If you plan something out that requires bodies to participate there are enough people walking the streets and driving around in the summer time that they will drop in. Guaranteed? Maybe not?

There is a division of productive interest in reporting events that do not register on the political agenda of the local decision makers. Our newspaper is sadly under-utilized as any sort of communication tool. Those events/group activities that do not appeal to the common denomiator are marginlized simply out of neglect. This is no surprise as Mississauga does not have any sort of media presence. The news is owned by the star. The star is owned by a larger national corporation. the only hope that we have of any real press, in advance to an event or as reportage of a happening has to register on the star's radar, or not at all.

Recent reports about local shows have been full of errors and inconsistencies due to poor checking of facts and a lack luster understanding of whats going on in our community. It is not uncommon for artists not to be mentioned (as a sculpture that was unveiled recently had no mention of its author linked to it in the article that was reporting the event)...

That brings me to the here and now. In earlier posts I had supported the notion that it was up to the public (namely practicing artists) to step up and offer collaboration, projects and events to help kick start the public mind set to be engaged in the creation of culture (an end towards a cultural identity) instead of passive consumption. I assumed naively that those I contacted would feel the same way. It turns out that their work ethic is not what it is supposed to be. I feel that not only was I avoided, talked to less than plainly and finally treated as if I wasn't an originator of an idea, I was stuffed into a position of complete subordination. My question is; if this is the way that they treat the extraordinarily driven individuals that live in this City, how do they see, and treat the general public? Do they loathe them? Do they hate the fact that after all these years of collecting paychecks, partially funded by the people that visit and attend their responsiblities, they have to keep maintaining a facade of amiable hospitality? What does this have to say about the board of directors that help to maintain leadership and operation of these institutions? Do they care what happens with the day to day management?

It is difficult to say who is right and who is wrong. I am merely a bystander with a stake in my community because I care what direction we are headed in. Apathy within the populace is at, what we suppose, an all time high. The surest way to battle it is to Connect. It is an interesting posit to question whether or not there is anything wrong with Mississauga and the population when it comes to the creation of culture. There are enough people here. We are an affluent city that is highly educated and prosperous. We have all the trappings of a cultural metropolis. It is my belief that the problem is not with the way our citizens live, but the way that they are forced to live through apathetic non profit institutions that seek only to maintain the status quo. There is no experimentation, no adventurous spirit that is at the source of a competitive market place. There is no room for creative individuals to make dreams come true.

One of the major obstacles that we must deal with as a Municipality over the next twenty years is how to hang on to our Youth. We must give them space to grow and develop and without the adventurous spirit this will not happen. We must give them a reason to stay or they will move to the city that does. Our Economies are shifting. Ours is becoming an innovative economy no longer necessarily dependent on manufacturing or retail. If we dont change the way that we think and do business we will flounder like so many others. Although the monolith that we have built has a solid foundation there is no guarantee there will be any around to worship it when the prayers go silent.